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Author Topic: Quakemortal: Perdition's Gate (Community Fort, Spoilers)  (Read 53899 times)

Zaerosz

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #15 on: March 09, 2011, 10:39:46 pm »

Quote from: Zaroz
Bloody idiots are building a danger room. A danger room! Do they have any idea how many deaths those things have caused? Honestly. I'm in charge of patching them up, for Uzol's sake, and the less work I have to do, the better.

Tripped over a damn boulder this morning, the 'hospital' - hole in the fucking ground it is - is full of them. Lazy assholes. There are demons down below, aren't there? Why not just drop boulders on their damned heads? It'd tidy the place up at least. Some of us have to WORK here, you know!

Least they could do is smooth the place down, or at least my personal rooms. Hell, I'd do it myself if it wouldn't take so damn long.
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Dariush

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #16 on: March 10, 2011, 06:09:43 am »

OOC: When I saw that screenshot with signpost, I immediatly rushed to wiki to see when they were added  :P
Also, what is your FPS, now that the hell is opened and additionally filled with magma? :)

***

Demons.

I've definitely heard about them, but always thought that they were the stuff of legends.

Apparently not.

And I'm living right over their heads, with but a flimsy bridge separating the monstrosities from my home.

If anybody ever told me this, I'd listen to them and take notes. If anybody told me I would be this calm, I wouldn't believe them.

But really, this whole 'ancient horrors' stuff isn't all that horrifying. Sure, those daily screams and wails aren't pretty and the smell can rot your brain, but last fortress I've worked in our overseer has been breeding crundles. CRUNDLES! No amount of demons will ever compare to the roomful of squeaking, blearing, rattling buggers. Also, it's nice knowing that no goblins and treehuggers will get to us from below. Also, worms. NO WORMS WILL GET TO ME. EVER. Yes, maybe living above demons isn't so bad. After all, humans DO sometimes get demon leaders. Yes, demons are awesome.

Now, this fort has gone for far too long without some sort of goblin limb-remover. I think a pair or two hundred of serrated disks must be enough.

And then onto my super-secret megaproject.

Wait... I'll need masons for it. And an architect... I'll have to tell them about it. But then my megaproject will stop being secret. But I can kill the workers later. Yes, I'll do exactly that. Yesss...

Musashi

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #17 on: March 10, 2011, 01:39:07 pm »

It made sense they would recruit more soldiers, especially after that last ambush. Hell, if the remains have to be trusted, those green-skinned bastards broke most of that one tall guy's bones.
However, I wish they didn't enroll me with some stupid trick. Someone left a nice quiver on my bed (low-quality mule leather, I believe, but I'm no tanner), and as soon as I picked it up, another soldier rushed in the room and said "hey, are you the new archer? Go fetch the rest of your equipment and see the commander as soon as possible". Alright, there might have been some twinkle in my eyes while I looked at the thing, but that's no reason.
I'm the fifth doctor in the family. 3rd generation. We all dissect dwarven corpses in our youth instead of hauling microcline. Or making finely-crafted mugs. There's nothing wrong with mugs, though. I've known some fine professional mug-crafters. But I just deserved better than that.
Oh well.
It can be fun.
I got a bone crossbow. I suspect this was made of some big predator's bone. Crocodile? Cougar? Gee, my knowledge of animals is anecdotal. I should take advantage of the situation to perfect my skills in my area of predilection.
There's a wolf not too far from where I'm standing. I'm not even a novice, so I should... I don't know, snipe it. Then, I'll take a look at the body. Just because I'm now a crossbowdwarf doesn't mean I should slack off. Plus, hey, shooting it from afar is way less risky. I'll save my luck for later.
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SalmonGod

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #18 on: March 10, 2011, 06:44:15 pm »

Any room for a hunter?... fisher?... both?
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SethCreiyd

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #19 on: March 11, 2011, 01:56:38 am »


The dwarven traders were packing the last of their goods and preparing for their long journey back to the Mountainhome.  The caravan leader Lorbam was shaking Olin's hand when the first shouts were heard.


Another party of goblins had arrived, and while they were dealt with by the caravan guards quickly enough, but a fisher was killed along with several animals.  Sethrist couldn't take his mind elsewhere, however he tried.

"Derm was right," Sethrist said, his face hidden behind his hands.  He was sitting with Crumby at the dining room, staring at a plate of plump helmets he just couldn't bring himself to eat.  "The attacks are only going to get worse if we don't do something."

"Then do something," Crumby said, and took a sip of ale.  "You can start with the walls.  We can't ignore our defenses above ground, especially with goblins around."

So the order was given.  New masons were drafted from the beekeepers and potters that were, at the time, out of a job.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

More and more dwarves came to live at Quakemortal, drawn by tales of its progress.  It was a strange place, they found, cozy and young but absurdly wealthy, and for the most part, they were quite happy with their new home.

Stranger than the place were the dreams.  Sometimes, they didn't wait for sleep.

*     *     *


Covered in the blood of his comrades, Kodstukon coughed and struggled to breathe.  His chest had been shattered.  He knew these moments were his last, but they would not be spent as a coward.  Shakily, using a spear of one of his fallen brethren as support, he arose and faced his foe:  a tower of ash with two great wings of shadow stretched out to either end of the cavern wall.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

"Foul thing," he said, "you haven't killed me yet."  And summoning his last reserve of fortitude, he took one step toward the demon, and another, and with a sudden savage scream, lept into the air as far as his froggy legs could propel him.  Passing through what felt like solid smoke, he swiped the spear alongside the specter's wing.

The demon laughed as soot poured out of the wound and clouded the air, with an animalistic echo that seemed to come from everywhere.  The air seemed to thicken, and Kodstukon could no longer breathe.

His people had stood guard over the Pit for centuries, but the monsters had finally won.  The caves would be overrun, despoiled and sundered.  He had failed.

As the spear dropped to the floor, Kodstukon breathed one final time, and his tribe died with him.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

*    *    *

"Are you sure about this?" Kzel asked, his hand stopped a few inches from the Danger Room's control lever.  Crumby was standing inside the room, spear at the ready, without even a shield.

"I'm sure!" he said.  "I've been in a Danger Room before.  Now pull the lever."

"I'm rather certain you should be wearing something besides a robe," Kzel said.

"Just do it!" Crumby yelled.  Kzel sighed, and pulled the lever once.  The awful tooth-and-nail grinding of dwarven mechanics rumbled through the walls as the Danger Room sprang into life.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The spears were heard thudding against the soldier's body.

"Well?" Kzel prompted.

"I'm fine!" Crumby yelled.  "Now pull it again, and don't stop unless I say so?"

"Look," Kzel said, "I can't be sitting here pulling a lever all day, I have other things to do."  He moved toward the barracks exit, shaking his head.  "I'll send someone else down."

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Mumbling to himself, Crumby himself headed out to find something to drink, and managed to bump into Sethrist in the hallway.


"Looking for a fight?" Sethrist asked.

"What?" Crumby asked.  He looked at himself.  "Oh, the spear," he said.  "I was practicing parries in the Danger Room."

"The Danger Room?"

"Yes."

"Without armor?"

Yes, without armor," Crumby said.  "There isn't enough to go around, but I won't let my skills rust while waiting for some."  Crumby excused himself for his drink, and Sethrist stood there for a moment, pondering.

Four hours later, Kzel had returned to the barracks.


"I don't know why you people keep asking me to do this," he said.  "I really have other work to do."

"Nobody's twisting your arm," said Sethrist, "but everyone else is busy.  Now please, pull the lever."

Kzel hesitated.  "I have to ask..."

"Please don't."

"It's just that Crumby is a seasoned war veteran, and you, well, aren't.  And the Danger Room --"

"I'm a Prince of the Lanterns of Hail!" Sethrist cried.  "My blood can do what any soldier can.  Now please, just pull the lever!"

Kzel rolled his eyes, muttered something like "all the same," and did as was asked.  The training spears shot out, and one of them struck Sethrist soundly in the forehead.


When he regained consciousness, staring up at the ceiling, a muscle in the back of his neck was throbbing.  The noise of machinery had ceased. Crumby was standing over him.  His arms were crossed in disapproval, but he almost seemed to be hiding a laugh.

"Ah, the stupid of youth," he said.  "I look forward to telling your father of this."

« Last Edit: March 11, 2011, 03:21:06 am by SethCreiyd »
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SethCreiyd

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #20 on: March 11, 2011, 02:07:14 am »

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

*    *    *



Journal of Sethrist, excerpts

It's been a good few months.  Dariush and Olin are parents!  We're having celebratory roast and ales tonight in honor of our fort's newest addition.  Dariush, for one, seems especially pleased with himself.


He's been full of surprises lately.  I mean, he's always been a decent enough mechanic, but I never expected anything like this.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

He's managed to craft some kind of chain mechanism out of raw hematite.  It's a truly exquisite work of art, and so he's been given time off of work to think of something to do with it.

Meanwhile, Kulet found another secret while looking for marble.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

He discovered a fiery cavern that seems to be safe from the demons, which seems like a perfect site for a magma foundry, but it's an eerie place nonetheless.  One has the feeling one is being watched in there.  It's a feeling that's grown all too comfortable for me.  I have yet to escape the dark presence that stalks me when I'm alone.  And the dreams are getting worse.

Poor Kulet seems pretty shaken up, but I can't relieve him from duty.  He's the only miner I trust around the truemetal.

Stodir the Glassmaker made a bracelet that everyone's going nuts over.  It's not for me, but I guess one has to appreciate the craftsdwarfship.  He calls it "Deaddwellings."  Pretty typical of Stodir, he's about as optimistic as a goblin prophecy.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Crumby stayed in the danger room an entire month, he locked the door behind him and said he wasn't emerging for any reason until Granite had passed.  I hoped he would stay alive.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

He finally emerged on the first of Slate, bearing plenty of bruises, but there was a power evident in him even in the way he walked, like walking itself had become a completely effortless task unworthy of his abilities.  He entered into the dining room, stared at us all like an angry troglodyte, and started chugging the nearest barrel of ale.  Makes sense, as one would guess his flask had emptied quite long ago.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The workers finished Duck's office sometime near the end of Slate, if I remember right.  It has some nice wooden furtiture and paneling on the walls, just as he asked.  The wooden blocks have been a pretty good way of training up the apprentices, so I can't say I have a problem with anything he's doing, pursuing our front with such gusto it should convince anyone.


We're building him a house above it, but that's nowhere near completed.  He'd better appreciate this; his office is better than mine.

*    *    *

Impersonat cursed her luck.  Why they'd assign someone as green as her to guard the miners on their tour through the adamantine was beyond her ability to reason in moon logic.


Contemptible place, she thought, the vibe of creepiness never left, it felt like something would pop out of the magma at any moment and devour them all.  She held fast to her crossbow (water buffalo bone, actually; she had checked) while the miners tapped away.


"Really," she said to Kulet as the two of them went down the ramp.  "Why do the walls have to glow red like that?"

"It's semi-molten stone," Kulet replied, setting down the pick to wipe his brow.  "Only certain parts of the stone are magma-safe.  The rest of it just oozes around until it forms a shell around the rock, like this.  At least, that's what I think it is."

"Your guess is as good as mine," Impersonat admitted.  "Still, it doesn't make this place any comfier."

"You're telling me," Kulet said.  "I once discovered," he paused, "well, something awful," he finished.  He started digging again.  "This is a strange land we're in, and it doesn't help that we're in an adamantine vein.  Any minute now, we could break through-"







He stopped in mid-sentence as a menacing crimson light poured into the hollowed-out vein through the last rock he had struck, which crumbled away, revealing a vast shore of fire and barrenness.


(Willpower check: fails.)

Impersonat blanched, gasped; the pit seemed to go on forever, drawing her sight deeper and deeper into it until she felt she were falling in.  A compulsive urge to jump into the pit came suddenly over her.  She grabbed at the ground beneath her, throwing herself backwards, but still her mind fell deeper into the chasm.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

(Willpower check succeeds.)

Impersonat found her voice.  She screamed.  Someone grabbed her shoulders.  It was Kulet.  The vision passed and left her twitching on the floor in a daze.

That's when Kulet saw it - the ghostly figure screaming toward them through the air.


He had to think fast, before the entire fort was doomed.


(burrowed there)

He had to block the floor with something, but there was nothing to use that he could reach in time, except...


Scrambling, he grabbed a piece of adamantine from the floor and wedged it in the hole.


The ghost below drew ever closer, its howls coursing through the cavern, vibrating the walls.  Kulet raised his pick, and with the skill of a miner from legend, forced the adamantine into the hole with one blow.  The demon's yell faded from earshot and fell mute.  The fortress was safe once again.

Kulet breathed deep with relief.  He truly hoped this was the last time he'd be sent down to these depths.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)
« Last Edit: March 11, 2011, 02:10:53 am by SethCreiyd »
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SethCreiyd

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #21 on: March 11, 2011, 02:35:44 am »

It was early in the morning on the 14th of Felsite when the Goblins attacked.


Their arrival coincided with that of the elven caravan, and so soon the three races were embroiled in mortal combat.  Having killed two soldiers already, the goblins moved up toward the fort.  Derm and his soldiers braced by the entrance behind the cage traps, waiting for them.

Crumby emerged from the entrance with his spear.  "Where are the invaders?"

"To the South," Fikod said.  "They're hunting the elves, and then they'll be coming for us."

"Elves?" said Crumby, peering into the distance.  "They'll be killed if we don't do something."

"We can't go out there," said Zuntir.  "We'll all be killed if we do.  There's too many of them!"  But Crumby was already running down the field.

Reaching the edge of the fortress wall, he spied three goblins creeping around the bend.  He charged, skewering one of them through the chest, and tore into the invader with the savagry of a maddened beast.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The goblin's compatriots ran from the sight.  Smashing the skull of his foe, Crumby chased them far into the wood.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The victorious soldier was almost back through the gate when he spied a second ambush party.  He readied his spear, prepared to attack.


A third group appeared.  A fourth.  He lost himself to the battle, rolling and dodging the strikes of a dozen assailants and maiming those foolish enough to drop guard, his bones calling forth the memory old-fought battles.


He couldn't keep this up forever, either they would break, or he would.  Still he fought on, through the pain of the pike in his side, endured the searing pain of his shattered leg until his entire body failed under the vicious assault until finally, he was overwhelmed.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Derm and the other soldiers arrived too late but to see the goblins finish him off and flee at their approach.  No doubt they were repulsed by the prospect of fighting ten more like the last.


Derm gave chase to the nearest goblin, not about to let them escape so easily.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

He set his axe into the goblin's brain, and then, with his victim's blood fresh on his face, he turned to the elf who was limping into the forest away from them.

"You!" Derm shouted.  "You lead them here, didn't you?"  The elf denied it, pointing at his injured animal, but Derm could no longer hear.  A rage boiled out from within, and a voice inside him called out, "He is a liar!  Slay him!"  Axe in hand, Derm marched forward.

"No, please!"

(Willpower check: fails.)

Derm raises the axe.  There is a moment where it wavers in the air as the hand wonders what has told it to move.  The voice calls again, much louder this time: "Kill the liar!"

It takes only one blow.


*     *     *

Sethrist's Journal, excerpts

Crumby is dead.  My friend and mentor is gone.  And now I'm supposed to lead.


More dwarves have come here.  There are 82 of us now, and I've been elected Mayor, so I must try to focus and carry on.  But I can't, not yet.  I'm good to no one now.  I've asked Rimtar to run things for a while.

If I hadn't been too weak for the Danger Room, we could have fought together, side-by-side.  So, I have to do this.  Never will another moment's sleep come by to me if I can't be there, among the dwarves who would give their lives so that others may live, knowing the chance of interference preventing a death.

I'll be out in a month.

-----

Rimtar sends messages to the Chiefs of Staff.

Kzel

The miners have found marble, alright, as well as more adamantine, and steel production is fully underway.  The Chief Engineer's mandate of serrated disks should give you plenty of practice to produce something magnificent.  Soon, with the magma foundry going through, you won't need to rely on charcoal for anything but steel.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The site of the new foundry has some peculiarities, such as spots of magma cool enough to walk on.  Not solid, cooled magma, no; it is liquid and warm, just hot enough to make for a relaxing bath.  What sort of magma's supposed to do that?

-----

Dariush:

Congratulations!  He looks just like you!  Enjoy your time off, and let it be known when you decide what to do with the mechanism.

-------

Derm:

The outer walls have been completed, and watchtowers are underway.  The only access to the fort is from the south, and will soon be heavily fortified with conventional traps and other forms of defense.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Your current equipment leaves a lot to be desired, but you're getting close to something respectable.  Now that the magma foundry is underway, things should improve before long.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The recent boost in the population has demanded the creation of the Fortress Guard.  You have been offered the position of Captain of the Guard.  You would have considerably more authority than your current position allows, but you'd be further bound by law and custom, and you might not like the idea of dealing with criminals.  You have a bit of time to think it over.

Regardless of your decision, you're allowed keep command of the squad you've been acquainted with for the past couple of years.  They are as follows:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

They're a good bunch, but they really need to be whipped into shape.  They're the best soldiers the fort has to offer, so they'll at least have to do.  You already know Zuntir and Fikod, since they were both injured right in front of you.  Let me know if you want a new set of uniforms, I think we'll be able to afford it real soon.

-----

Zaroz:

The hospital is completed.  Your house is situated across the hallway from it.  While the rocks have been cleared and the walls mostly smoothed, it's still rather sparse.


(You notice that someone has placed strands of adamantine in the hospital's storage containers.)

Spoiler: SalmonGod (click to show/hide)

Your actions during the battle of Felsite 14 have led to your being promoted to militia captain of the Archery Squad.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Something about crippling this goblin made you stand out, so there you are.  You only have a few archers at your disposal, and you haven't set up any formal patrol schedule, so you're still free to hunt and fish at your leisure.

-----

Duck: 

There are more and more blocks every day.  As soon as you're ready, construction on the Guild Hall can begin.  Also, your office is ready, I pray it meets your satisfaction.

-----
« Last Edit: March 11, 2011, 03:37:17 am by SethCreiyd »
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SethCreiyd

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #22 on: March 11, 2011, 02:44:05 am »

Any room for a hunter?... fisher?... both?

Certainly! The more, the merrier, I feel.  It's easier to keep track of dwarves that have been dorfed, after all, and there's no shortage of roles to fill.

OOC: When I saw that screenshot with signpost, I immediatly rushed to wiki to see when they were added  :P
Also, what is your FPS, now that the hell is opened and additionally filled with magma? :)

Heh, no, just a note I'm afraid.  Had to improvise somehow.

FPS is poor at 82 dwarves, but it's playable.  I estimate 15-20 FPS.  There's a lot of factors against framerate right now: flowing magma, caverns, HFS, 5x5 map size.  Temp and weather are on, but I might turn weather off since it never seems to change anyway.

OOC: Can I also have a list of who is currently in the military and their weapon of choice? being Milita commander is hard without knowing your troops.

I hope that stuff in my above post works.  In case it doesn't, I''ll upload the save pretty soon, when the narrative and the save file are in sync.

Edit:  Sorry about the elf murder.  I got careless with the kill order, and wrote it in, so the check was an automatic fail.  In the future, such things should be directly consequential to choices you make when your character is put in certain situations, or 'quests,' if you like.  I should have the first of these ready for next update.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2011, 03:45:49 am by SethCreiyd »
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DuckThatQuacks

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #23 on: March 11, 2011, 07:34:57 am »

OOC: I'm traveling at the moment, so I probably won't have a chance for another post until Sunday.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2011, 07:37:41 am by DuckThatQuacks »
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Dermonster

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #24 on: March 11, 2011, 07:59:13 am »

I'll get a write up of my decisions in later, gotta take care of a 7 hour long problem >.>

Known as work.
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"Y'know, my favorite thing about being a hero is that it gives you all kinds of narrative justification to just slay any ol' jerk who gets in the way - Black Mage.
"The bulk of [Derm]'s atrocities seem to stem from him doing things that [Magic] doesn't actually do." - TvTropes
"Dammit Derm!" - You, if I'm doing it right.
Moved to SufficientVelocity / Spacebattles.

Dariush

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #25 on: March 11, 2011, 09:10:52 am »

OOC: what was that with walkable magma? That's first time I see that  :o
Also, that 'voice in the head' twist was awesome. Are we going to be motivated by demon's wishes soon? :)

***

My... precioussss...
I spent last several weeks laboring on the gear wheel that will wait in the very heart of my future project, responsible for the whole function of the mechanism. Finally all those years of planning will give fruit!

But first, there're more urgent matters to care about. As I was overseeing the production of saws for securing our entrance, I saw two dwarves die, skewered by green barbarians. That behaviour is not acceptable. I must go to Overseer and request that in addition to securing our entrance with saws we construct some 10x1 bridges to crush oncoming foes if they somehow survive the razor-sharp blades.

...

Now I'm sitting at the wall between us and caverns, staring at demons through the cracks. They are known to be unkillable by either water or magma... But a combination of both? What if we obsidianize them?

Eyes sparkling, I rushed to my quarters, already preparing my trusty chisel and preparing to carve the plans into eternal stone. Suddenly, I heard the voice.

Don't you dare.

Shocked, I stumbled and fell, wildly looking around for the source of the voice. Other dwarves looked pretty calm, so I guess I was the only one who heard it. Meh, not the first time.

"Who are you?", I asked mentally.

WE are eternal. YOU are EPHEMERAL, mere DUST compared to US.

The last word resonated with such force that I shuddered.

"Ah, so you are the demons."

Indeed. Your wit is significant, but you'll never overpower US. Don't even try, and you will be spared when we get out.

"Spared? As in, I will live?"

The voice laughed. An acid, bone-chilling laugh.

What could have given you that idea? Of course not. But you will be killed quickly and not tortured for millenia, as we would do otherwise.

"Oh, spare me the threats. I don't fear you. I will not annihilate you, but I can very well settle for caving your ethereal heads in. Or encasing them into eternal stone."

I didn't even notice how I got into my quarters. But now I found myself sitting at my worktable, and after finishing the sentence I calmly started to carve out the plans for the machine.

You shall NOT. Bow before US. Accept the INEVITABLE.

The last word of every sentence has given me a minor headache, but a lesser one with each time I heard the demon emphasize his words.

"Fuck you.", said I and, ignoring the demon's threats, now reduced to whispers, got to work.

Nice to know some people - or not-people - still regard me as a threat.

Sir Broccoli

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #26 on: March 11, 2011, 01:35:55 pm »

This fort is pretty friggin' awesome! Can I have a siege engineer/siege operator named Broccoli please?
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kzel

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #27 on: March 11, 2011, 02:14:08 pm »

Kzel's Journal, Entry 5

Miner have found marble, but more importantly they found a new vein of raw adamantine ! The metal is glorious even in its crude nature, and I can't wait to be able to work it as I see fit. Some of the diggers say the demons are right below a constructed floor made of the blue stone. I've been down the shaft and it all looks perfectly safe to me. Some of the walls are warm, probably from the presence of magma close by, but apart from the magnificent reflections of blue light in the walls, I see nothing out of ordinary.


Kzel's Journal, Entry 6

Two ! Hundred ! That crazy mechanic wants me to use two hundred bars of good metal to create large serrated disc. As if I have time to spare creating enough bladed trap weapons to cut the world in two. I still haven't created the spear to be gifted to our overseer, but the promise of magma-forge and their perfectly reliable temperature should have eased the process. Now my plan will have to be delayed for a long time, as our fortress's security is a matter very dear to Sethrist's heart ever since he lost his friend.

I pride myself in doing the best with what I have, so I'll make the discs. This could provide a good opportunity to practice my skills, and maybe learn a new thing or two, however unlikely that is. Still, spears would have been perfectly fine in weapon traps as well, and what led to Crumby's demise isn't lack of traps. It isn't his training either, I saw him bash away all those wooden spears as I pulled the controls of the danger room for days on end. I must investigate on this.


Kzel's Journal, Entry 7

I now know what really doomed him : his sub-par equipment. He certainly wasn't using any of my quality spears, and stories I've heard speak of him donning a willow helmet as only head protection. A willow helmet ! Even a crude iron helm could have stopped these shoddy copper and silver spears with ease. One of my perfectly balanced weapons would have given him all the edge he needed to strike swiftly and precisely, instead of this imported crude stick he had for a weapon.

I am torn between the desire to expose the blunt truth to Sethrist and my fear to antagonize him. I think showing Commander Derm some of my best creations could help a lot with my case, surely he'll see the obvious benefits in wearing properly crafted arms. I must also find a decent armorer in here that could provide support to my claim about armor.


Kzel's Journal, Entry 8

I can't help but think about the proximity of adamantine every time I strike the anvil. The magma workshops are nearing completion and I soon will have all the steel I want at my disposal to make Dariush's precious traps. The dwarf has taken to 'oversee' their production, which basically sums up to come to me every few hours and ask me how many blades I've made. How am I supposed to concentrate and make quality work when I am constantly interrupted ? There's a reason I avoid crowds and prefer to work deep below the earth, far away from centers of activity.

On another matter, I think my analysis of Crumby's death is pretty solid, and unless I have objections from Commander Derm or our Chief armorer, I will present my conclusions to Sethrist as soon as he is available. My recommendations will be immediate production of good quality weapons and metal armor for our military, and delay of the serrated discs order until such objective is accomplished. I am not one to take risks, but I think the mechanic's madness must be revealed before he puts up a plan that could doom us all.



Have Kzel produce some serrated discs for the entrance traps, but two hundred seems a little overkill. I think Derm and the military could use some weapons better than (steel battle axe)s.
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Dariush

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #28 on: March 11, 2011, 02:28:43 pm »

Two hundred disks is merely twenty fully-loaded weapon traps. If the screenshot of the ambush is any measure, that's merely four rows of defense.

kzel

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Re: Quakemortal (Community Story Fort) (Spoiler!)
« Reply #29 on: March 11, 2011, 03:08:22 pm »

Two hundred discs is also more than half a year worth of work for a skilled weaponsmith :)
I remember reading that multiple discs per trap was not efficient, as they would stall often. Single disc traps dismember often but don't kill, which prevents the bodies from jamming the trap and offers easy targets for the militia to train on.

But who am I to argue with the chief mechanic ;) Kzel just wants access to the adamantine !
« Last Edit: March 11, 2011, 03:10:54 pm by kzel »
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